1,800-year-old bathing pool uncovered in Jewish Quarter

Find sheds light on Aelia Capitolina, the Roman city founded on Second Temple ruins.

Archaeological Dig 311.
(photo credit:Associated Press)

A Roman bathing pool built 1,800 years ago was recently discovered in the Jewish
Quarter of Jerusalem during archeological excavations ahead of the construction
of a mikve (ritual bath), the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced in a
press release on Monday.

The discovery sheds light on the scope of Aelia Capitolina, the
city founded on the ruins of the Second Temple that defined the character of
ancient Jerusalem.

“We were surprised to discover an ancient bathhouse
structure right below the spot where a mikve is to be built,” said Dr. Ofer
Sion, excavation director on behalf of the IAA.

“The bathhouse tiles –
which are stamped with the symbols of the Fretensis 10th Legion, “LEG X FR” –
were found in situ and it seems that they were used to cover a rock-hewn water
channel located at the bottom of the pool. The hundreds of terra cotta roof
tiles that were found on the floors of the pool indicate it was a covered
structure,” he noted.

“It seems that the bathhouse was used by [soldiers
of the 10th Legion] who were garrisoned there after suppressing the Bar Kochba
uprising in 135 CE, when the pagan city Aelia Capitolina was established,” Sion
continued.

“We know that the 10th Legion’s camp was situated within the
limits of what is today the Old City, probably in the region of the Armenian
Quarter. This assumption is reinforced by the discovery of the bathhouse in the
nearby Jewish Quarter which shows that the multitude of soldiers was spread out
and that they were also active outside the camp, in other parts of the Old
City.”

An unusual imprint on one of the roof tiles caught the attention
of the archeologists.

“Another interesting discovery that caused
excitement during the excavation is the paw print of a dog that probably
belonged to one of the soldiers,” Sion said.

“The paw print was impressed
on the symbol of the legion on one of the roof tiles and it could have happened
accidentally or have been intended as a joke.”

Dr. Yuval Baruch, the
Jerusalem District archeologist for the IAA, noted the importance of the
discovery, which will aid significantly in the study of post-destruction
Jerusalem.

“Despite the very extensive archeological excavations that
were carried out in the Jewish Quarter, so far not even one building has been
discovered there that belonged to the Roman legion,” he said. “The absence of
such a find led to the conclusion that Aelia Capitolina, the Roman city which
was established after the destruction of Jerusalem, was small and limited in
area.”

“The new find, together with other discoveries of recent years,
shows that the city was considerably larger than what we previously estimated.
Information about Aelia Capitolina is extremely valuable and can contribute
greatly to research on Jerusalem because it was that city that determined the
character and general appearance of ancient Jerusalem and [the city] as we know
it today.

The shape of the city has determined the outline of its walls
and the location of the gates to this very day,” Baruch added.

The IAA
will integrate the remains of the ancient bathhouse into the plans for the new
mikve.